About Me
I
am a 28 year old mother to two boys and expecting third boy in December. The first was born by
cesarean, the second, an unassisted home water birth. I breastfed
my first son for 18 months and my second until he was nearly three. I have experience as a counselor and
supervisor at a rape and sexual assault crisis hot line and walk in
center, am ALACE trained, an ex-International
Cesarean Awareness Network chapter leader, certified breastfeeding
counselor, CPR and NRP certified, and student midwife. Currently I am working on becoming a certified childbirth educator through the Center for Unhindered Living ( http://www.unhinderedliving.com/childbirth.html ). I am also an emotional freedom
technique practitioner. Due to my son's many food allergies I have also
become very experienced in menu planning for various types of diet. My long term goal is to open a free standing birth
center in the Low-Country area.
What is a doula?
A
doula is a person who has usually (but not always!) had children of
their own, and has a passion for birth. We help families figure out
what is important to them for their labor and birth and help them
realize these goals. A doula will come to your house in early
labor and help you determine when to go to the hospital, or when to
call the midwife and settle in for a home birth. Doulas help
provide comfort measures for mothers in labor and help mom relax by
providing massage, emotional support, information, suggest position
changes, and other labor support techniques. Doulas help women
trust in their ability to birth normally and significantly decrease
interventions and cesarean sections. They advocate for birthing
women by providing information and encouraging informed choice.
Doulas support and encourage unmedicated, non-technical, woman-centered
birth as the safest option for mothers and babies. When an
emergency or complication does occur doulas stay with the mother and
family and help support them through these changes. Doulas also
offer breastfeeding and post partum care.
Studies show that the presence of a doula results in:
Shorter Labors
Reduced Need for Pain Medication
Fewer Episiotomies
Fewer Cesarean Sections
Improved Neonatal Outcomes
Better Mother-Infant Interaction
Greater Maternal Satisfaction
My Philosophy
I
believe birth is a process best left alone in nearly all cases.
Around 90% or more of women can have a perfectly normal birth with no
complications. Women should be allowed to labor and birth
unhindered so they may adopt the coping techniques that work best for
them. This includes being able to move around in labor and not
being held up by continuous monitoring or IV's. I feel that women
should be listened to in their prenatal, labor and post partum periods
in order to care for them in the best way; this includes taking as much
time as needed to hear all of the mother's concerns. I also feel
that women should be treated as intelligent thinking adults. (You may
ask why I say this; many women have told me they feel belittled or
talked down to by their care providers after becoming pregnant.)
While I feel that natural birth is best, what's right for me may not be
right for all women. I fully encourage women to make informed choices
that best fit thier needs and I will support any delivery from home to
cesarean and anything in between. I feel that all women could use
the support of a doula to help maintain the flow of birth, protect the
mother's wishes, and provide continuous care. The presence of
another woman in birth has been beneficial to laboring women for
generations.